Postcards from India

Tigris

Tigris --> Collection of images, from the jungles of India, depicting the world's most majestic animal, the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris) in its natural wild environs. The tiger is also India's National Animal.

“A Tiger is a large-hearted gentleman with boundless courage and that when he is exterminated – as exterminated he will be unless public opinion rallies to his support – India will be the [sic] poorer, having lost the finest of her fauna.” – Jim Corbett, Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1944)

T-17 or Sundari is the 4 year old daughter of the legendary tigress Machali (Machli). She has a radio collar around her neck which is used to undertake scientific studies on aspects such as tiger movement, extent of area covered, etc. It is strictly NOT used for tracking the tiger for the benefit of tourists during tiger safaris. The presence of a radio collar poses a peculiar problem for photographers... in that, nobody would love to have a picture of a wild tiger with a collar around its neck! The solution is to either photograph her from the front or at an angle such that the collar is not visible... but then, the angle is not under one's control since the tiger is the King of the jungle and it does not move as per a tourist's whims and fancies!